Just when I was feeling ordinary...

So apparently I am now a "V.I.B"

Don't know what that is? Well let me tell you, it is a "very important beauty insider." Sephora has bestowed this honor on me and I have to say, I am honored. It isn't everyday you get an email like that.

What does that mean, you ask? It means that I have spent so much money (that I don't have) at Sephora that I am invited to spend even more. There are even more enticing deals to bring me to makeup and skin care central with more reasons to spend money. Why yes, I DO get a holiday bonus (it sounds a little like a job, actually) and guess what, the more I spend, the more my bonus is. I freakin' love this place.

And let me tell you why.

Everyone likes a reward card that costs no money and brings you treats and special status for buying the things you love. They really know how to make a girl feel special. Tops in my book. I'm not a fan of any reward program that costs money on top of the money you already spend there.

The Sephora Spectacular houses under one roof, a veritable plethora of beauty products. It has so many different lines of makeup and skin care that you could really spend days and days and not see it all. I've spent an entire afternoon drawing on my hand with the urban decay eyeliners trying to decide which shade of purple to get.

As soon as I found out about my new status, I went right over. I was dying to see if things looked different as a V.I.B. I wasn't ready to spend my inaugural, "welcome to the special club of spendy spenders" discount but I did want to scope out the place.

Right now, Dior has the most amazing shade of red nail polish. It is like a cranberry crossed with candy apple. It is divine. I used the tester to paint two of my nails and it is beautiful. It is fascinating that they only have one shade of nail polish. Brilliant marketing. It makes one feel like that is the uber color for fall. There is only one and this is IT. It is also expensive which makes you feel like it is an indulgence. I'm still thinking about it. These people are geniuses!

Here's something else I've discovered during operation recon at the Sephora, they are doing something called "Express Services." Each one has a different focus but the jist is, that one of their experts will give you a mini lesson on a different aspect of makeup application. The one coming up is called "Candy eye." Phenomenal. The beauty expert who was dressed in all black with her official black, expert smock, was wearing blue, white and pink eyeshadow with a glittery eyeliner and it looked amazingly neat. I was super impressed.

Candy eye!

Newshead sees the world in conspiracies. I, on the other hand am full of admiration for marketing ploys. Let them conspire to take my money by offering me a gift and an elite status that no one knows about.

Joke's on them. I was gonna shop there anyway.

mystery lips

So I have had severely chapped lips for the past two months. I was convinced I got a little over zealous with the anti-aging cream and had burnt the shit out of them. When that wasn't it I threw out an old sticky lipgloss that I thought might have been the culprit. Still awful. I went through four tubes of lip balm medicated and otherwise and put every hydrating thing I could find on my lips. I did a sugar scrub, exfoliated with a wet wash cloth, moisturizing lip scrub, a lip peel...nothing!

I've not really had this problem in the past so I'm a bit perplexed. Every time I think it is better it flares up again. I'm obsessed with figuring out what I'm using that is making this happen. The only thing that has seemed to help is pure vitamin E oil which I only just discovered this week. I thought I had solved my problem but then tonight it got bad again. It actually looks like I had some kind of bad collagen lip procedure done.

I will admit that because my lips are swollen, the wrinkles I was worried about aren't really visable right now. So there's a silver lining. However, the downside is that I can't wear any color on my lips or I look like a dehydrated corpse. Like if I was going for zombie lips it would be impressive. Unfortunately, I don't need that look at the present moment so it is a waste.

I asked my friend the internet about the severity of the problem and overwhelmingly everyone is suggesting that I have an allergy. Probably to the very thing I am using to help cure me. Lip Balm. Goddamnit! I just bought a new one that smells like the most amazing vanilla frosting and another tinted one that smells like a tropical drink. Into the garbage. I am so sad about it. I am relieved however, to think that it is just lip balm. I can work around that. Newshead said "wouldn't it be awful if you were allergic to makeup?"

Oh the horror. I can't even speak.

I'm telling you that you can because you can, I know you can and deep down you know it too.

I cannot tell you how many times I have heard a variation on the following:

"I love your eye makeup. You always wear the best stuff. I could never make that happen"

"Why?"

"Well the effort for one and I just don't wear eyeshadow and I don't know how to put it on and I don't know what colors to get and I just don't think I can pull it off..."

It is my life's mission to demystify eye makeup. Sure it can be complicated and time consuming if you are trying something really involved but for the most part applying eye make up takes under 3 minutes. And anyone who has 3 minutes can "pull it off." It takes more time for me to put concealer under my eyes and try to even out my skin tone than it takes to put on eye makeup. And not lame eye make up either. Really nice looking shit.

I can wax poetic about different eye shadows and liners and mascara. I have things I love and things that don't work for me. Getting the correct tools is important and finding colors you love to wear is beyond fun. Once you have the stuff you need it is just a matter of waking up 3 minutes earlier. The vibe of your whole day can improve with a little excitement on the lid.

I think I am going to start a recurring "What I'm in love with now" feature because I not only love products, I LOVE to share my findings with anyone who will listen. I also love to hear other people's favorite items as well. I can understand Oprah's desire to give perfect strangers her "favorite things." If I was Oprah I would totally do that too. Or if I had Oprah's money I would give all my blog followers raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens and brown paper packages tied up with string. Inside that brown paper package tied up with string would be:

A gorgeous neutral colored eyeshadow. Benefit's creme eye shadow in "Birthday Suit" is my current favorite.
Urban Decay eyeliners. It would be the gift set of bright colors.
Dior Show mascara.

That is literally all you need to make a great eye.

Smear the creme shadow from your lash to just above the crease. Let it dry for a couple of beats. Then take the urban decay eyeliner in electric blue or the teal one and draw a line from the outer corner of your lash line to 3/4 of the way in (toward your nose). Make the line thicker on the outer end and taper it as you drag it in. Put a thick coat of Dior Show mascara on (start at the base of your lashes and wiggle the wand upward and out). That's it. You are good to go. Not hard AT ALL.

I'm going to make a "How to" video and post it on ehow. Seriously. I am. There is absolutely no reason anyone should think eye makeup is beyond their reach. It's ridiculous and I will not hear of it.

There's More...

I've always been intrigued by the "smokey eye." It is fabulous. Here is a good example.


I personally can't really get it to work on my eye. Pretty sure it is my eye shape. However, I continually make an attempt to see if things have changed. I mostly end up reminding myself of looking more like a burnout in 8th grade but whatever, I don't give up easily.

Wore it to work and honestly no one really noticed, but I have kept myself entertained and even challenged if you will. I'm really of the "try try again" school of thought. Used camerabag's magazine filter. Love camerabag and still love "smokey eye" on other people.

In Search of...

I’m currently in search of the perfect brown eyeshadow. A neutral lid is a refreshing change from the vibrant colors of spring or fall. You would think it would be simple, but not so. Of course I saw it in the bible (Allure) and now I want it for my own self. The trouble is creating the same effect but on my oddly transparent skin tone. I need to find MY perfect brown.

I do currently love Laura Mercier’s cream shadow in gold and Smashbox’s Cinnamon Toast shadow. Pretty close but not perfect.

This is going to top off my dream outfit of head to toe monochromatic neutrals.

I’m fairly certain that no one in cyber heaven cares about this but I’ve decided to try and use my blog as a vehicle for “the secret”

I’m starting small universe. Brown eyeshadow and an all neutral outfit.

I believe like I believe like I believe.